09 Dec Volunteering in the Philippines: WTF to go and make a difference

Welcome to the jungle…the urban jungle of Manila that is. Manila, for those of you not hip with capitals, geography, things not lathered in butter or featured on reality shows for my American friends – Manila is the capital of the Philippines. I have never been to the Philippines before, but after visiting 90 something countries, I had to stop the itch and finally visit the Philippines before I kick down 30s door (shh don’t tell) and embrace my golden years.

Why visit Manila and the Philippines?

side note – this is def. not Manila

Well – truth be told I don’t know much about the Philippines, just the occasional rumor around the watering hole from other travel bloggers/writers/hungover guy in the coffee room that catch my attention. From the amazing beaches to the abundance of English spoken by locals to stories of just how incredibly nice the people are, I decided to make the Philippines my next destination in my around the world in 80 jobs odyssey.

As you all know from the non-stop media coverage, Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan hit the Philippines in early November, killing almost 6,000 on record as of now, and leaving lives utterly destroyed. From lost family members, to obliterated homes, to businesses that now no longer exist and stimulate the local economy, if there were ever a time for me to help out my fellow man, now would be it.

So for the next two months (or more) I will make my way through the Philippines, in search of how I can make the most impact and make this world a little better for someone else. There also maybe some beaches involved. And beer. And bad decisions. To be continued.

Turner barr

turnerbarr@gmail.com

Hi, my name is Turner. I travel the world, hustle to find interesting jobs, and write about what happens when you read too many self-help books.

10 Comments

Amazing that you’re doing this. Good for you. I don’t know much (anything) about the geography of the Philippines but you should check the Waterfalls Restaurant out if you’re near it. It looks super rad.

I’m so proud of you!! Thank you for helping the Philippines! I’m sure you’re doing a great job. How do you like Manila so far? It’s hard to fall in love with Manila, but believe me, once you’re out of the capital, you’ll be amazed!

I’ll see you soon over there, can’t wait to come back to the PH…..take care until then! Hope you will love the country as much as i do 🙂

Excited to see that you will be traveling/ volunteering through the Philippines. My family is from there and I was born there before growing up in Texas. I was shocked by Manila the first time I went back and was old enough to really see it, but there are a lot of beautiful places to see and lots of good food to eat! Enjoy!

Hey I'm Turner - a 30-something American guy into eatin', drankin', and traveling. Not always in that order. You've met me at a weird time in my life, but that's okay. Let's get weird.